


Grand slams

by Civeng15



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Tennis, F/F, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluffy Ending, Tennis
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-31
Updated: 2016-03-29
Packaged: 2018-04-12 05:51:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4467812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Civeng15/pseuds/Civeng15
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I'm not good at summaries but I'll try my best.</p><p>Clarke Griffin is in Paris to support her best friend in her journey to achieve her first Grand slam.<br/>Lexa woods is currently the #1 WTA player and the front runner to win this year's Roland Garros.<br/>It starts with them meeting in Paris in the final days of the tournament but meeting at Grand slams soon becomes their thing.</p><p>OR</p><p>Clarke and Lexa start to get slowly closer to each other during each Grand slam until things explode.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Roland Garros

**Author's Note:**

> Hello dear readers! thank you for giving this story a shot :D  
> first of all, i'm gonna give you the layout of the story. Each grand slam will be a separate chapter, I think the story will span over 4-5 grand slams then maybe an epilogue. so that makes it about 6 chapters. 
> 
> I'll try to update each week on friday, but I make you no promises since it's summer and I tend to be lazy during summer.
> 
> I had this idea while watching Roland Garros, so that's where the story will start.  
> Bear with me and forgive me if there's any mistake regarding the cities (Paris, London, New York and Melbourne) because I don't live in any of them *unfortunately* 
> 
> okay I'm gonna shut up now. Let me know what you think in the comments!

**CLARKE POV**

“Ah!”

“Euh!”

A full crowd at Philippe Chatrier court in Paris was watching intently as the ball bounced from one side to another in the longest rally of the match.

Octavia Blake, a 20 year old American tennis player ranked 2nd worldwide, was currently facing Echo Zupan, the 22 year old Serbian tennis player ranked 3rd worldwide in the semi-final of Roland Garros Grand Slam.

Octavia was able to win the first set but Echo retaliated and took the second set. At the moment, they were tied 5 games each in the last set, Echo was serving and Octavia had many break points to take the lead at 6-5 and serve for the match but the Serbian would not back down and had already saved 3 break points and had advantages that Octavia saved as well.

Around shot number 26, I had lost count, Octavia managed to fire a forehand down the line which Echo couldn’t return with the accuracy needed as one of the line umpires shouted “Out!”

“Avantage, Mademoiselle Blake” said the chair umpire while the whole crowd roared at the magnificent rally we just witnessed.

“Let’s go O!” Bellamy, Octavia’s brother and coach screamed and clapped next to me. The Blakes are the siblings I never had, Bellamy had been a professional tennis player himself but a serious injury to the shoulder at the early age of 22 had forced him into early retirement. In the few years he was able to play professionally; he had reached number 1 worldwide and was able to win 2 Grand Slams, the US Open and Roland Garros, along with dozens of other trophies.

Around the time of his injury, his sister then at 17 years old, moved into the big leagues and so Bellamy poured all of his focus on helping her reach her dream of reaching #1 of the WTA Ranking. Unfortunately this proved to be rather difficult with the likes of Echo and Lexa Woods who has been #1 for the past 16 months. But Octavia isn’t one to back down from a challenge.

She now had another break point. Echo got ready to serve; she looked up to see if O was ready, and fired the first serve.

One of the umpires shouted to signal a fault since the ball hit the net. Echo got ready to serve again; you could feel the whole crowd holding their breaths as she fired a serve in the middle of the box. A safe serve, which Octavia had cleverly expected and she returned it with a sublime backhand across the court which Echo had clearly not expected.

“Come on!” O’s voice resonated in the court as the whole crowd erupted in cheer. Bellamy and I were on our feet with fists in the air in support.

“Jeu, Mademoiselle Blake”

Echo looked at her coach and family in the designated box, with a look of astonishment. In return, her coach was encouraging her to fight.

Octavia was now serving for a spot in the final against non-other than Lexa Woods.

“Merci” said the chair umpire to quiet down the crowd.

In a matter of seconds, you could hear a needle drop. This is the beauty of tennis, that concentration and suspense. No one dares to utter a word or make a sound as the player gets ready to serve, especially in a crucial time of the match.

Octavia took her place and fired an ace. I stood up and screamed “Go Octavia!”

Bellamy looked at me and beamed “She’s so close I can feel it”

7 minutes later, and after 3 hours and 24 minutes of the match, Echo’s forehand went into the net. Bellamy and I jumped to our feet and hugged while Octavia jumped up and down on the court as she headed towards the net to shake hands with Echo and the umpire.

Later on, once O had saluted the crowd and gave her post match interview on court, we met up with her after she’s changed clothes and got ready for the press conference.

“Congratulatioooons” Both Bellamy and I screamed as we went for a group hug with O sandwiched between us.

“Thank you guys, I couldn’t have done it without you” She said seriously.

“Oh we know, there’s not a single talented bone in your body” I joked.

Bellamy and I waited in the back as Octavia answered all the questions from “Are you happy with the way you played today?” to “How are you planning to beat ‘The Commander’?” that’s what they nicknamed the British #1, to which she replied “Lexa is an opponent to be feared but she’s also human and I won’t be surrendering another Grand Slam title to her. She knows to expect a fight till the end and I can assure you that any tennis fan will enjoy the final”

Lexa and Octavia had faced a couple of times before, with a record of 4-1 in Lexa’s favor. Octavia had been able to win in the semi-final of the Madrid open and go on to win it in 2014 but ever since that loss, Lexa has been on streak of 4 wins in a row against the American, one of which was a US open final.

One couldn’t but admire Lexa Woods, the 23 year old British player, if not for her amazing tennis then for her breathtaking beauty. I remember the first time I laid eyes on her, other than on tv, I was 18 years old and playing for a spot in the upcoming Roland Garros while she, at the time 20 years old, was in Paris preparing for the tournament. I was an upcoming player, described as the new Maria Sharapova based on my blonde hair and offensive baseline style of play.

I had just won a match that secured my place in the tournament and I was out celebrating with my father, who was also my coach at the time, the mere thought of him makes my heart squeeze and my eyes tear up.

I remember seeing her at the restaurant; she was having dinner with another brown-eyed brunette. They were both laughing and enjoying their time. I was mesmerized by the sound of her laughter, the sparkle in her green eyes as she looked at the other girl, my dad even joked that I’ll burn a whole in her face if I keep staring. But I couldn’t stop myself, the girl was incredibly beautiful.

Unfortunately, everything changed that night. The life I had planned out went out of the window as soon as that drunk driver hit us on the way back to the hotel. My dad, who was driving got most of the hit since it was on his side of the car. He passed away on the way to the hospital.

I had minor injuries, but I couldn’t compete in RG and tennis no longer felt the same without my dad there in the box cheering for me and guiding me through the tough times. Also, I kept blaming myself and tennis for his death, if it weren’t for my dream, we wouldn’t have been there in the first place. So I stopped competing altogether.

It took me a while to get back into a tennis court but with my mom’s support and Octavia’s constant nagging, I started playing against Octavia for practice and against Bellamy just for fun, but never to compete.

And now, 3 years later, I had a degree in arts which I pursued solely due to my passion for drawing but my main focus was the “Jake Griffin tennis school” for kids in Washington DC that my mother and I established and which I was currently running. Our aim is to help them develop their talent and achieve their dreams.

I was brought back from my thoughts by the movements in the room. The press conference had just ended. We went to meet up with O and head back to the hotel for some needed rest and then dinner to celebrate.

Later that night, I was dressed in a simple white dress and in the middle of applying a bit of makeup when I heard a knock.

“Who is it?” I asked while I headed to open the door.

“It’s the future Grand Slam winner” O sang

“I sure hope so. I need you to win more Grand Slams than Bellamy or we’ll never hear the end of his greatness” I joked as I opened the door to be met with Octavia in black with a black dotted white shirt tucked under it and black flats.

Octavia Blake is hot to put it bluntly. Her green eyes, usually empowered by the black eyeliner she applies, and her exquisite jawline are something to be admired.

We met when I was 16 years old and she was 15 at a tennis tournament in the states, I had become aware of my attraction to girls as well as boys and obviously O caught my attention. But after getting to know her, any romantic feelings I might have had towards her disappeared for two reasons. One, there was no chemistry between us and two, she was definitely not gay. But although she wasn’t girlfriend material, she is definitely best friend material.

“Someone looks hot. Come on in, I need to finish applying my makeup and we’ll head out” I left her at the door of the suite.

I heard the door click shut, and then O was lying on my bed watching me work.

“You really think I can win her?” I turned to look at her as the doubt filled her voice.

“Of course I do. She may be the hottest woman I’ve ever laid eyes on…”

“Hey! What about all of this?” She said gesturing to her body and wiggling her eyebrows

“I love you O but Lexa Woods is dreamy. The mysterious vibes she gives and the dark eyeliner… ugh so hot” I held up my hand to stop her from interrupting me again “However, when it comes to tennis you are just as brilliant as she is. Don’t ever doubt that” I gave her my best sincere look.

She nodded and looked up to the ceiling “You know, I’m 110% sure that you could dethrone her if you got back into the game. You almost always beat me in training”

“Almost always?” I joked.

“Oh shut up. Yes almost always. I won you that one time we were practicing in Rome last year. Come on Clarke, we both know you are meant to be a tennis player and you can be one of the best of all time. Don’t you want to achieve what you and your dad worked for?”

I had finished applying my eyeliner and was now fighting off tears. I knew that she’s waiting for an answer but I didn’t trust myself to give one without my voice faltering.

I had been given this talk of chasing that old dream again from my mother, Octavia, Raven and even Bellamy but somehow hearing it here in Paris, where that dream was chattered, brought more emotions than I had expected.

“But when I think about it, you’ll probably never be #1. You’re going to have to beat me for it and I won’t be as easy as during training” I knew she was trying to lighten the situation and I was happy for the change.

“You never make anything easy O. You’ve got that trademark Blake stubbornness”

I took a deep breath to steady myself and went to sit on the bed next to her. My fingers looked very interesting as I spoke “Playing tennis has always been the greatest pleasure of my life. On that court, I used to feel like I can achieve anything, become anything I want… but it’s not the same without him in that box cheering me on. I’m…” I faltered “I’m scared of disappointing him”

I felt a tear roll down my cheek and then Octavia’s fingers wiping it off.

“You’ve got all of us here supporting you. Your father had always been so proud of you and you’re stupid to even think that you can ever disappoint him, wherever he may be.”

“Thanks O” I lean my head on her shoulder “I am honestly happy with running the school and teaching the kids. Maybe someday I’ll get back in the game, I don’t know”

She was rubbing soothing circles on my back.

We were sitting there in silence, each in our own thoughts, when O’s cellphone started ringing. It was Bellamy asking where we were.

So I put on my flats, checked my face in the mirror to make sure my makeup was still in place and we headed down to the lobby where Bell was waiting.

“I made reservations at… euuh… I have no idea how to pronounce it. We can walk, it is 5 minutes away and the weather is nice”

“Yeah sure” I replied.

It was Octavia’s second time in Paris, last year she made it to the semi finals.

“How’d you decide on this restaurant?” Octavia asked.

“I ran into Finn in the lobby, he lost today against that asshole Murphy, he suggested it. Said they served a killer chocolate fondant. Don’t know how I missed it before; you know how my nose follows the scent of chocolate”

“How you were in shape to play tennis with that love of chocolate is beyond my comprehension” I told him.

“I’ve got the genes baby” he gave me his best lopsided grin. It’s true though, Bellamy’s attractiveness couldn’t be ignored but just like O, he was more of a sibling than anything else.

Once we reached the restaurant, Bell held the door open for me and Octavia. Inside, he spoke to the hostess “Blake party of 3”

“Of course, follow me please” she responded with an accent.

The restaurant had a historical décor, with red and gold walls filled with old portraits paintings or landscape paintings. I got lost in all the paintings surrounding me.

“Well look who’s here” I heard Octavia say with a smile.

I turned to the table O was addressing. Echo was sitting with a dark skinned woman with short brown hair and an intimidating look in her eyes and another dark blonde woman whose cheekbones are sharper than knives and her eyes are hazel almond-shaped and an empty fourth seat with a black leather jacket hung on its back

“Blake, out celebrating I see” Said Echo “you know Indra, my coach” Indra barely nodded her head in acknowledgement, it could have been easily missed had I not been paying attention.

“And this is Anya…” she motioned towards the blonde woman.

“My coach”

I turned to see who spoke, but deep down I knew that British accent could only belong to one person, at the same time as Octavia said “we know who they are Echo”. I could hear her rolling her eyes.

My mind registered the rest of the conversation as Echo explained that the introductions were for my benefit but my focus was captivated by the newest addition to the table. Lexa Woods in all of her glory was standing in front of me. She was dressed in skinny black jeans with striped black and white button shirt tucked under it. The top few buttons of the shirt were open and I was captivated by the exposed upper parts of her breasts. Fortunately I caught myself before my staring turned creepy.

She was standing behind the empty fourth seat, greeting Octavia and Bellamy. I was again captivated by the movement of her lips. What was happening to me?

Unfortunately for me, I zoned out of the conversation and this time, I was caught staring.

“It’s rude to stare, Clarke” I heard the same voice with that irresistible accent. The way my name rolled off of her tongue made my skin tingle. I focused on my surrounding and noticed that Lexa’s face held a smug smirk while Octavia was smiling at my inability keep it my pants as she would say.

“I’m sorry,” I shook my head “I’m Clarke Griffin” I held my hand out for a shake.

From the corner of my eyes, I noticed O face palming herself while Echo snickered. Anya and Indra looked bored and Bellamy rolled his eyes. Lexa’s smirk just grew bigger and her green eyes were sparkling in amusement.

“I know, Octavia just introduced you to us” Lexa said reaching out to take my offered hand. I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks. I couldn’t believe my stupidity, she just said my name 10 seconds ago, how did that slip my mind!?

I never wanted to let go of her hand but I think I’ve scared the tall brunette enough for one day.

“Oh my God, I’m really not making the best impression here, am I?” I said mortified

“Nope, you’re acting like a fangirl” said Octavia, then whispered to me “it’s okay, she scares me too”

“Well, I am a fan” I managed to say looking at Lexa with a smile.

“Thank you” she looked down and I could faintly see her blushing behind those brown locks. I made the commander blush. I feel proud.

“Hey! But I’m your favorite female tennis player of all time, don’t forget that” Octavia threatened.

“Actually, that would be Steffi Graf” I replied

“Yeah, I can’t actually argue. But you do think I’m the hottest female tennis player” she smiled innocently at me.

She was doing this on purpose. Whenever O had that glint in her eyes, it meant she wasn’t thinking along the lines of innocent at all.

“Nope. Wrong again” I glared at her.

“Care to share who you think is the hottest player?” she wasn’t going to back down.

“No, I’m good.” I deadpanned.

We heard Bellamy clearing his throat and turned to see the whole table looking at us with amusement. Well, Indra looked more like she might hit us.

“Would you like to join us?” Lexa asked barely glancing at the Blakes and then holding my gaze.

“Indra and Anya were about to leave, and we were going to wait for my brother to join us” she continued. Echo was looking at her with a shocked expression. Perhaps she didn’t want any new company.

“Umm, it’s okay we don’t want to impose” I said shyly.

“What? Octavia, what is your friend talking about? Sit sit, we’ll have them bring more chairs. It’s a round table we can squeeze you guys in” Echo said with a wink. It didn’t slip my notice that the wink was thrown in Bellamy’s direction. Maybe she didn’t mind new company. Huh, I can’t read these people.

“Okay. I’m going to go tell the hostess to bring a chair” Bellamy spoke

Indra’s cellphone started to ring “No need Mr. Blake,” she said with a grunt “it looks like Anya and I have to bid you goodnight.” Surprisingly though, her voice did not seem as intimidating as I thought it would.

“No staying up late Lexa, no Alcohol, no desert and I’ll see you tomorrow in practice 9 am sharp” Anya told her with a serious expression and a finger pointed at her.

“I know” Lexa rolled her eyes at her coach “I’ve got a Grand Slam to win in 2 days” she smirked at Octavia.

“Pfft. You don’t scare me” O challenged. However that was clearly not true since she squirmed under Lexa’s gaze 30 seconds later.

Anya and Indra stood up and left. Bellamy took Indra’s seat next to Echo, while I took Anya’s seat next to Lexa. Although not willingly. Octavia, not so smoothly, had pushed me towards that seat, while she took the last seat to my right. We still needed another seat for Lexa’s brother, so Bellamy told one of the waiters to bring an extra chair and put it between him and his sister.

“Sooo. What’s good in this place?” Bellamy asked.

“First time here?” Echo asked, to which Bellamy nodded.

And so Echo helped Bell and Octavia decide on Beef entrecote with red wine, well done for Bellamy and a simple Poussin aux herbes for Octavia.

Lexa seemed to notice the confused stare I was giving the menu.

“Need any help there?” she smiled.

“uh huh. I’m torn between the Margret de Canard or the salmon steak” I said still concentrating on the menu.

“Magret de canard definitely. Obvious choice” she replied

“What are you having?” I asked

“Magret de canard” she said like it’s the most obvious thing in the world and grinned. I laughed at her expression.

“Okay then, I’ll have that too” I laid the menu on the table and sat back still holding Lexa’s gaze.

“You seem to know your French cuisine” I told her

“Yeah, this is my third year at Roland Garros and I lost count how many time I’ve been in Paris. Paris is an amazing city, I try to come visit whenever I can.” She leaned forward, with her elbows on the table and her chin on her hands

“If my memory serves me right, I think I saw you here 3 years ago, right before the tournament began. You were in the qualifications for the tournament”

I coughed to hide my surprise. She had noticed me. And she knows I play tennis. Played tennis.

“Yes I was” I said turning the napkin in my lap.

I guess Lexa got the point that I didn’t want to talk about it, however Octavia, who had been listening in on our conversation interjected “Clarke is actually an amazing tennis player, she helps me train. I let her win sometimes”

I scoffed at that “You let me win?”

“Hey! I’m playing against her in 2 days for the RG final, I need to intimidate her a bit” I thought she was being serious and gave her a ‘Seriously?’ look up until she started laughing.

At that moment, a tall tanned man bent down and gave Lexa a kiss on the cheek and a hug. I felt a pang in my chest. But then he repeated the same action with Echo.

“Lincoln” Said Lexa “This is Clarke, Octavia and Bellamy” she gestured towards each one of us respectively. “This is my brother Lincoln”. Oh so that is her brother, yeah I could definitely see it. They had the same skin tone, same jawline and that sexy smirk which he was giving to O.

“Hello everyone” Lincoln said in that drool worthy British accent. His eyes lingered on Octavia. As a blush started showing on Octavia’s face, Lincoln smile grew. Oh this is interesting; I’ve never seen Octavia turn this shade of red before. I elbowed O to get her attention. Once I had it, I wiggled my eyebrows at her. She rolled her eyes “Shut up” and blushed even further if that was even possible.

Few moments later, a waiter came and took our order and we discovered that Lexa was fluent in French. I should’ve been surprised really, the woman is perfect.

The food was amazing. I’m pretty sure I moaned several times while eating and that earned me some amusement looks from Echo and Lincoln, some elbows from Octavia and some smoldering looks from Lexa that I couldn’t quite pinpoint. Her green eyes darkened further with every look. Bellamy on the other hand was lost in his entrecote. The only person who could’ve taken him out of the beef trance he was in is Echo.

He hung on every word she said and smiled sheepishly at her when he got caught staring, which was a lot.

We had finished eating and I was sipping some water while sneaking glances at Lexa. She had kept quiet while we were eating, listening in to the small talk and only talking when addressed.

“So Clarke, what do you do for a living?” Echo asked.

“I teach kids tennis back in Washington”

“That’s nice” She said “Don’t you ever think of getting back in the game?”

I stared dumbfounded. I did not know how to answer that question. Of course I thought about it, everyday but the problem isn’t if I want to, it’s if I can.  
I felt Octavia’s hand on my right arm for support and Bellamy was giving me his sad eyes from across the table. I did not need him to give me those sad eyes right now.  
Lexa was openly glaring at Echo who was still looking expectantly at me for an answer.

“Oh you were a tennis player?” Lincoln asked

I turned to look at him and nodded.

“Why’d you stop? You got injured? If you don’t mind me asking of course” he had a sincere look in his eyes. He was just curious I told myself. He didn’t know so it’s a legitimate question to ask.

“Lincoln enough” Lexa’s voice rang from my left “it’s clear that Clarke does not want to talk about it”

Did she know? I turned to look at her.

Her voice left no room for discussion but both siblings were having a silent conversation with their eyes which ended with Lincoln sighing and apologizing “I am sorry if my question made you uncomfortable. That was not my intention”

I could tell that he’s a genuinely nice guy.

“No it’s okay. Don’t worry about it” I assured him “You can say that it was an injury of some sort”

“I’m a physiotherapist; if you want I can take a look at your injury”

“My injury requires a different kind of therapy I’m afraid” I joked gesturing a finger to my head.

“You got hit on your head?” Echo asked incredulously

Octavia erupted in laughter, although it wasn’t that funny but I guess the tense topic got to her, Lincoln smiled adoringly at Octavia’s laughter while Lexa shook her head at her friend’s reply.

Bellamy leaned in and whispered to Echo “No she means psychotherapy cause she’s fucked up in there” he gestured to his head.

“Hey! I’m not fucked up. I have some issues, just like the rest of you” I glared at him.

 “Bellamyyy how about that chocolate fondant?” Octavia jumped in to change the subject.

“Yeah I’ll have some, want to share?” his question was clearly meant for Echo then as an afterthought he told his sister “You can’t have any”

“Sure, I’ll share”

Octavia turned to face me with a gagged expression. Her brother and her SF opponent were too busy making gooey eyes at each other to notice but the world #1 seemed to feel the same way as us since she leaned in and whispered “Have they always been like this and I hadn’t noticed or is this thing new?”

I was caught in the middle between the two brunettes but I was more concerned with the feeling of Lexa’s breath on my neck, the feeling of her hand on my left arm which she was leaning on for support, the clear view I now had of the top of her breasts, the way her plump pink lips moved as she whispered. I wonder what they taste like.

“It’s a new thing. I don’t think they had ever talked before” Octavia replied in a similar hushed tone “They make a cute couple though”

I absentmindedly nodded my approval; I was looking anywhere but at the brunette to my left. I will not be caught staring for the second time in a single night.

All too soon, Lexa leaned back however O leaned further in and whispered so low I barely even heard her “you’re drooling” she giggled and sat back.

I instinctively reached to wipe the drool from my chin only to hear Octavia laugh harder. I didn’t even know if Lexa like girls for God’s sake.

Bellamy and Echo ordered their fondant and shared it in their own bubble while the rest of us talked.

Around 10 pm we paid and were standing outside saying goodbye. Lexa, Echo and Lincoln ordered a taxi to their hotel, while we decided to walk back.

I saw Octavia hand Lincoln her phone and take his to exchange numbers. Then she said “You better call me” with a wink and then to Lexa “See you on Saturday Commander, you better bring your A-game”

As she was getting into the cab, Lexa smirked at us and said “don’t worry, I won’t go easy on you.” Then she turned to me “It was nice meeting you Clarke”. I got lost in her eyes.

“May we meet again Lexa” I blurted out as she got in the cab.

“May we meet again?! Where did that come from? Oh my God, she must think I’m retarded, who says that!?” I panicked looking at my friends for some reassurance but all I got was two smirking faces looking right back at me.

“Princess has it bad”

“Shut up Bel” I grumbled and started walking towards our hotel but I didn’t miss the look that passed between the two siblings.

In the back of my mind, I was aware that Lexa could’ve just been saying something nice and exchanging pleasantries and that it doesn’t have any important meaning but I chose to ignore that reasoning.

I felt a shit eating grin spreading as I continued walking ahead of my friends.  Octavia shook her head smiling at my behavior while Bellamy was busy texting someone.

We each went to their own bedroom and went to sleep, getting ready for tomorrow’s training sessions and getting in the mood for the final.

* * *

 

**LEXA POV**

I asked the ball boy for my towel. I’m sweating like a pig and I’m not even sure it’s due to the heat only. I wipe my face and arms, grab 2 balls from the young boy. I put one of the balls in the inside pocket of my skirt and look up to see Octavia in position waiting for my serve. I look up and my eyes lock with the reason of my distraction. Clarke Griffin.

_Focus Lexa!!Get your head in the game, you’re about to lose the damn set because of a girl you don’t even know._

I take a deep breath, bounce the ball 2 times and fire the serve. Octavia barely makes a return and I fire a forehand to the other side of the court too far away from Octavia’s reach.

 _Yes!_ The crowd roars. One set point saved, now I have to save the other one while Octavia serves. After 57 minutes of play, we’ve reached a tie break in the first set. Octavia is now leading 6-5 in the tiebreak.

From the corner of my eye I saw Clarke cheering Octavia on. For some weird reason, this angered me. I wanted the blond to be cheering me on.

Blinded by my anger, I was not ready for Octavia’s serve and my backhand landed right in the net. I hunch forward and use my racket for support shaking my head at my stupidity. I had promised myself never to lose another match due to a girl and now I’m losing a FINAL because of an infatuation with a blond blue eyed angel that I know close to nothing about.

 

“Hanche Mademoiselle Blake”

I straighten my back, collect my towel and head to my chair. I look up to see Anya glaring at me. Then her glare turns towards Clarke. _She noticed._

Anya had been with me through the whole Costia ordeal so she knows what I had to go through to get to where I am now and how hard I’ve worked to separate my personal life from my professional one. It was never this hard to ignore a beautiful woman sitting in the crowd and get my head in the game. There is something about Clarke…

 

The umpire called us back to play. I’d be starting the serve for the next set.

As it turned out, I couldn’t stop my eyes from drifting towards the blond American and I kept losing points to unforced errors and double faults. I ended up losing the second set and the championship 77-65 and 6-4.

 

I went to the net to shake Octavia’s hand and congratulate her. I put on my best stoic face although, deep down I’m fuming. I’m angry at myself and at Clarke. She had been on my mind ever since I met her during dinner.

I knew it was unreasonable for me to be angry at her, she didn’t do anything but as I watched her celebrate the win our eyes lock and she gives me a small smile and a small wave. I could see the sympathy in her eyes but I ignored it all and turned to look straight ahead at nothing in particular as I waited for the ceremony to begin.

I was avoiding eye contact with anyone in my box. I know that Lincoln is probably happy for Octavia, a blind person would’ve noticed how smitten he was with the American player and I could feel Echo’s sympathetic gaze and I don’t even want to know how Anya is looking at me.

I watch as they prepare the stage and my thoughts drift to the same situation 2 years ago. At the age of 21 years old, I’d finally reached my first Grand slam final and I was adamant on winning it but the night before the final, I discovered that my girlfriend of 2 years, who I was madly in love with and thought that she loved me just the same, had been cheating on me.

 

Needless to say, I lost that final and the chance to become the #1 WTA player. Since that day I had promised myself to never lose a match due to distractions related to love and today I’d failed on keeping that promise.

If there’s one thing that I hate more than losing in tennis, it’s failing to keep a promise I made.

I kept looking ahead, at nothing in particular, as they finish assembling the platform and the announcer starts speaking and gives the umpire his award. Then it’s my turn to receive my second place award. I give the chairman a polite smile as we pose to have our picture taken.

Then Octavia receives the trophy and we listen to the anthem of the USA. I could see tears forming in Octavia’s eyes, the young American has worked hard to reach this point and I was happy for her. I like Octavia, she has a warrior’s spirit which I can relate to and admire.

I’m given the microphone to give my speech.

“First of all, Hello Paris” the crowd claps and someone shouts “Commandeeer”

“I want to thank you all for having us these past 2 weeks, the Roland Garros organization as a whole and every individual working behind the scene to make this tournament possible, it’s always a pleasure to be here with you. You make this tournament special. I had hoped to have a repeat of last year when I was able to come out victorious but today Octavia was the better player.”

 

I turn to look at her and continue “Octavia, I want to congratulate you on the amazing tournament you’ve had, it’s always a pleasure to play against you, and you always give me a run for my money. Congratulation on your first Grand slam and hopefully many more will follow”

 

I turn towards my box “Secondly, I want to thank my coach, family and friends. Without you guys, I wouldn’t be where I am today and I’m sorry for letting you down” I look straight at Anya as I say the last part, she claps her hands and blows me a kiss.

“And lastly, I want to thank my fans, each and every one of you that came out and supported me and those at home. You make me want to be better but today I failed you and I failed myself but hopefully I’ll make you proud in the future.”

“Lexa we love you!”

“Marry Me!!” a girl shouts

Laughter erupts at that last comment.

“You need to buy me at least a drink before asking me to marry you” I chuckle

“Deal!” the same voice replies.

I shake my head with a smile at the crowd’s antics and end my speech “and on that note, Merci Paris, je vous aime”

I hand back the microphone and step back as Octavia gives her speech.

“Woah! This is unbelievable. I’m not even sure this is real” Octavia shouts while the crowds claps and cheers.

“Lexa” she turns to look at me “I don’t know what to tell you, you don’t need me to tell you what an amazing player you are. You should feel proud of the great achievements you’ve accomplished; having already achieved a career Grand slam is something astonishing. Winning a Grand slam alone feels wonderful but winning it after playing the best in the world gives it a greater value. It’s been a while since I won against you but I know that you’ll come back even better and stronger and I’ll look forward to the next time we play.”

I nod and give her a small smile as she turns back towards to crowd.

 

“To the two most important people in my life, always sitting in my box, cheering me on and giving me advice and pushing me even when all I’ve wanted to do is lay down. My brother Bellamy and my best friend Clarke, we all won this.” Octavia paused as she wiped her tears and I noticed that Clarke was also crying. “you are my family and I love you more than anything. Thank you for being there”

“I also want to thank the Roland Garros organization for making this tournament happen. Everyone involved from the ball boys and girls to the board, thank you very much.”

“Finally, I want to thank the fans. You come out here every day and give us the strength to fight and make us give our best just to make you proud. Thank you all, I love you and see you next year!”

We pose to have our picture taken with the officials as the crowd cheers on.

Later on as we head inside to the player’s lounge, we are met by our coaches and family. Octavia runs ahead and jumps into Bellamy’s arms somehow avoiding hitting him with the trophy, Clarke stands to the side beaming at the siblings and I find it hard the tear my eyes from her face but then I remember that I’d just lost the championship because of my fascination with her face and her in general.

 

Lincoln walks ahead of the others gives me a hug and says “Don’t be too hard on yourself” he stands back with his hands on my shoulders and looks me in the eyes to make sure I’ll take his advice. “You didn’t fail us, I’m proud of you little sis” he gives me a nudge and throws his arm around my shoulders as we walk towards Anya and Echo who are congratulating Octavia.

I turn to Lincoln and whisper “Go congratulate Octavia, I know you want to” I smirk at his shocked face. “Did you honestly think I didn’t notice the looks?”

Anya steps towards me and gives me a hug also “Well now at least you have all the trophies you can collect from Roland Garros” she joked taking silver plate from me. I smile at her attempt to cheer me up.

“It’s impossible for you to let us down. I’m proud of you and they would be too” Anya continued. I fought to keep myself from crying.

“Lexa, tough luck today. Give yourself a break” Echo says while hugging me.

“I’m okay, I’m just angry at myself for breaking a promise I had made a while back”

“What promise? To never lose against me?”

“Blake, my life does not revolve around you” I smirk at her fake shocked expression “Congratulations, really” I walk to Octavia and give her a short hug.

“Clarke, Bellamy, It’s good to see you and congrats” I nod towards the pair standing behind Octavia.

Before anyone of them could reply, an official comes to check on us and see if we’re ready for our press conferences so we each head to the locker room to get cleaned up and change.


	2. Wimbledon Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pre wimbledon and Clarke POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! you have no idea how happy all the comments/kudos have made me. My cheeks literally hurt from all the smiling when I got an email about a comment :D  
> Okay so back to the story now, I got so many ideas for this chapter and I went back and forth between them that I didn't get much writing in this week. I decided to split Wimbledon to two chapters, the first one is Clarke's POV while the second will be Lexa's. I have it all figured out now, I just need to sit down and write part 2 but one of my closest friends got married on friday and I'm going on a week long vacation with the family on tuesday, so I 99% sure that I won't be able to post the second part before I travel. But it'll be posted hopefully around sunday 23rd 
> 
> So hope you enjoy part 1 and let me know what you think!
> 
> PS: Sorry for any mistakes, I really wanted to post this tonight but I didn't get the chance to read and reread it

I’m running in a forest, I’m not sure how long I’ve been running for. I look behind me and see 3 men, one was holding a bow and arrow while the other 2 had knives, running after me. I look ahead scared shitless only to find none other than Lexa leaning on a tree about 10 meters away, looking all regal and terrifying. She was wearing a sort of black breastplate and shoulder guard, with a sword attached to her hip and toying with a knife between the tips of her fingers. But the most striking part was her eyes. She had black smudges around her eyes, making the green look brighter and more commanding. Her nickname never felt more accurate.

  
Suddenly, she flung her knife in my direction. I stopped shocked, only to hear a thud behind me and when I turn I see the guy with the bow and arrows on the ground with a knife between the eyes.

  
Before I realized what is happening, Lexa is running towards the remaining two, sword unsheathed with a roar. 30 seconds later, the brunette is the only one left standing among 3 bodies and her sword dripping blood. Lexa, then, turns towards me and puts her sword back in place, and with purposeful strides she’s standing in front of me, cradling my face in her hands leaning in. I close my eyes, waiting for the feeling of her lips on mine.

  
Suddenly I feel someone shaking me.

  
“Clarke wake up, we just landed” I vaguely register Octavia’s voice.

  
Slowly I start to become aware of my surroundings. I’m not in the forest, I’m on a plane. The Blakes and I just landed in London for Wimbledon. Lexa is not about to kiss me. I try to ignore the feeling of disappointment.

  
As I unbuckle my seat belt and stand up to get the carry on, I’m still a bit shaken by my dream. I’m not entirely sure why Lexa was in it, probably because I’ll be seeing her soon. I can’t deny that I haven’t thought of the brunette in the past month since I last saw her, we were rushed after the game by the official and I couldn’t speak to her. I tried to convey to her my sympathy after the match, she looked so sad and disappointed with herself but all I got from her were glares. I’m not sure if I did something to offend her or if I was just reading too far into her reaction. I mean she had just lost a final so of course she’d be mad but even in the player’s lounge she wouldn’t look me in the eye. Her speech made me realize how hard and demanding she is of herself.

  
Once off the plane, we quickly found our driver that Bellamy had arranged and head to the hotel. It is almost 6:30 pm and despite the long flight and the numbness in my limbs, I want to explore the city. Once in my room, I take the fastest shower in human history, get dressed, grab a jacket just in case and meet up with Octavia in the lobby.  
I find her leaning on one of the walls with the phone in her hands and a smile on her face. As I get closer I notice the slight blush starting to show.  
“Well this is not something you see every day. Octavia Blake is blushing” I pinch her cheeks and retreat to a safe distance before I get smacked “how is lover boy?”

  
“What lover boy?” Bellamy comes to a stop next to me “who are you always texting?”

  
Apparently Bellamy was so focused on Echo during that one dinner that he failed to notice the sparks flying right next to him between his sister and Lincoln or even that they had exchanged numbers. So for the past month, he’s been wondering who his sister is texting and who is making her adorably smile at the phone screen. Bellamy has a good heart, but he can be overprotective of his little sister hence why Octavia hasn’t told him about Lincoln yet. The two were practically dating but without the going on dates part. Since we’re in London now, that’s obviously about the change.

  
The young sibling looks up at the sound of her brother’s voice “no one! Bel, Clarke and I are gonna go explore the city, just us girls. We won’t be late. Love you” she hurriedly gives him a peck on the cheeks then grabs my hand and drags me out to the streets.

  
“Wooah slow down O. Who are you running off to?” I smirk already knowing the answer.  
“Shut up and hurry up! Lincoln is meeting us at a restaurant just around the corner”  
“Octaviaaa I love you and I think Linc is awesome but I don’t feel like being a third wheel right now” I whine as we stop in front of the restaurant.

  
“God you’re such a baby. Do you actually think I’ll let you be the third wheel? Come on I have a surprise for you” She drags me in singing the last part.

  
Once inside, Octavia is craning her head in search of the tall Greek God as she likes to call him. For some reason, I find myself drawn to look to the left and my eyes instantly connect with those green pair that I haven’t been able to forget. It may seem cliché, but I stop registering any and all sounds around me as I listened to my own heart beat increase the longer we kept gazing at each other. I’m guessing Lexa already knew I would be coming or she can hide the surprise quite well. I can’t say the same about myself as I reach out to grab O’s arm and turn her in the right direction, all while maintaining eye contact with Lexa.

  
A movement next to Lexa catches my eye and for the first time I notice Lincoln sitting next to his sister waving at us to come over. Octavia lets out a little squeal and starts to move towards the siblings but my grip on her arm made her stop and turn. During one of her texting marathons with Lincoln, Octavia managed to discover that Lexa is in fact gay and once she brought me the “good” news and after the little celebration consisting of squealing and jumping, I started to reanalyze all the details of our short meetings to decipher her feelings towards me but as I kept reanalyzing and over-analyzing, I had convinced myself that she’s not interested.

  
“Octavia, what is Lexa doing here?” I shout-whisper

  
“What do you mean? I thought you like her, don’t you?” she looks confused and I don’t blame her. I look back at Lexa who was giving us a weird look, probably wondering why we haven’t joined them yet.

  
“I do… it’s just that I don’t think she does” I look down at my shoes

  
“Princess, she’d be stupid and blind not to fall head over heels for you. Stop overthinking this, let it be and enjoy the night. Think of it as a group of friends who are having dinner together and by the end of the night I will hopefully be kissing one of said friends and you might be doing the same with the other” she finishes with a wink.  
   
“Everything okay?” Lincoln, ever the gentleman has come to check on us with his sister now standing next to her chair, hesitating whether to join us or not. He’s standing behind O and puts a hand on her lower back.

Octavia’s eyebrows shoot up in excitement while a smile breaks all over her face. She turns around and throws her arms around his shoulders while he wraps his arms around her back and kisses the top of her head.

  
“Yeah, just some girl talk. It’s nice to see you again Lincoln” I smile at the couple.

  
“You too Clarke, come on let’s sit down” he guides us towards the table all while keeping a hand on Octavia’s lower back. It’s quite sweet really, I’m glad that he seems to be as smitten as she is.

  
We reach the table and Lexa comes forward and shakes O’s hand “Hello Octavia”

  
“Hey Lexa, glad you could make it”

  
“Well, I’ve had enough of my brother’s pouting and grumbling how he hasn’t seen you in a month and it’s always nice to see you both”

  
She then turns to me and offers me her hand which I take almost too eagerly. I’d forgotten how right her hand felt in mine. “So we meet again Clarke”

  
I’m not sure if it’s her accent, or the way she says my name but my stomach starts fluttering and I can feel myself blushing and I try my best to hide it but the slight turn of her lips in the smallest of smiles tells me that I’ve failed. I can’t believe she remembers that embarrassing line, I groan internally. I mumble a small hey, not trusting my voice.

  
The Woods retake their respective seats on the square table. Octavia sits opposite of Lexa and Lincoln to her left so they could talk, while I take the remaining seat opposite of Lincoln and with Lexa to my right.  
“So how was your flight?” Lincoln asks while the waiter handed Octavia and I our menus.

  
“It was okay, I ended up watching Jurassic world because someone” she shoots me a glare “decided to fall asleep”

  
"I'm not your personal entertainer Octavia." I didn't bother looking at her as she hmphed. I kept flipping through the menu, unsure of what to choose.   
  
"What are you guys having? I can't make up my mind"   
  
"Are you always this indecisive when it comes to food?" those green eyes are glinting with mirth that I'm lost for a moment as to what she means but then I remember that this situation holds a sense of deja vu.  
  
I chuckle, a bit embarrassed, but then again I'm happy to see this playful side of Lexa.   
  
"Maybe I loved your suggestion in Paris and was hoping for a similar one here"  
  
"You only need to ask Clarke. I'd be happy to help" she replied almost shyly.  
  
"You've been here before?" I want her to keep talking, her voice is soothing for some odd reason. It makes me feel safe.

  
  
"Yes we used to come here almost every Sunday with our parents. Lincoln and I still come whenever we can. It's one of my favorite places in the city" she looks around the restaurant with a gleam in her eyes "it reminds me of my parents and all the memories that these walls hold. There's actually a wall on the way to the bathroom filled with photos, I think there're a few of us. We can check them out later"  
  
"I'd like that" I answer eagerly, I'd love to learn more about young Lexa.

  
Lexa ended up ordering for me while Lincoln ordered for Octavia. It felt a lot like a double date and who was I kidding, deep down I wanted to be a double date.

  
As expected, Lexa's choice was amazing and I quickly devoured my plate. Once I had finished, I noticed that they were still half way through theirs. I gave them a sheepish smile and shrugged blaming the food for being too good which it really was. But my lack of control over my hunger earned me one of those small smiles that I was quickly learning were a Lexa thing so I have no regrets.  
  
Between the cuteness of Lincoln and Octavia, who were the butts of many jokes courtesy of Lexa and I, and the old embarrassing stories that the two siblings shared (thank the 2 bottles of wine), the dinner was going perfectly.  
  
For example, we learned that Lexa used to be pretend to be a warrior in the forrest when they vacationed in their countryside estate. Unfortunately for me, I was sipping from my wine when Lincoln told the story and my mind drifted back to my dream of warrior Lexa and I ended up chocking and earned some funny looks from my companions.   
  
Sometime during dinner I excused myself to go to the bathroom. The bathroom was located at the back of a hallway. In my hurry to pee, I didn’t notice that the walls are full of pictures but as I finished up in the bathroom and headed back to the table, I was shocked by the sight.  
I’m not sure how long I was standing there looking at the pictures until one picture towards the middle top caught my eye.

  
There were 5 people sitting around the table, Lexa and Lincoln with an older couple and another brunette who looked similar to the one my dad and I saw with Lexa in Paris 3 years ago. The older man hand grayish hair, his striking green eyes gave him away as Lexa's father while his kind bright smile made it clear that he's Lincoln's father as well. The older woman had the same curly hair as Lexa and kind eyes as Lincoln, she was looking endearingly at Lexa whose face was covered in cake frosting, her gaze held so much love I almost felt intruding by looking at the photo. The most striking part of Lexa's face though wasn't the frosting but her smile. She was smiling so big that almost all her teeth were showing, she also had her tongue out to the left side trying to lick some frosting off I guess. The other brunette had her arms thrown around Lexa's neck and was kissing her cheek. Looking at this picture, of how happy Lexa was, I vow to myself to make her smile like that. I trace her smile with my finger, committing it to memory.  
   
  
"that photo was taken on my 19th birthday" I quickly retract my hand. Does she walk on feather?  
  
"Well, more like a week late birthday celebration" she smiles fondly looking at the picture. "I was competing during my birthday so I didn't get the chance to celebrate it with them although all of them did call to wish me happy birthday. But when I got back and I'd won the tournament, my first WTA series trophy, my dad took us out to celebrate, a double celebration he said"  
  
She looks so mesmerizing recalling the events and it feels like she's sharing a part of her soul with me so I keep quiet and listen.  
  
"My dad, he was so proud of me. He loved tennis, he couldn't play because of a shoulder injury but he passed down his love for the game to me. And my mom, well my mom was happy as long as we were happy. She was so caring and loving, Lincoln is more like her in that aspect, I think I inherited her stubbornness" she chuckles at first then frowns and finally takes a deep breath and exhales. It doesn’t slip my notice that she doesn’t mention the other brunette.  
  
"I knew my dad wanted me to become the best and I wanted that too so I worked hard and I reached my first Grandslam final at the 2013 Roland Garros but ... I guess you could say that things happened and I lost. I got so mad at myself that I crashed out of Wimbledon in the third round and that made me even angrier. My parents tried to reach out but I'd felt like I let them down, especially in Wimbledon cause it was my father's favorite tournament. No matter what they said, I was too stubborn to believe their kind words. And then almost two weeks after Wimbledon, I get a call about that they're dead."  
  
I gasp. I want to reach out and hug her to show her that I'm here for her, to help her out of the dark place she went. I can't imagine what she felt at the time.   
  
"what happened?" I manage to ask  
  
"They were murdered during a robbery almost 2 years ago. A man called John Murphy broke inside the house thinking that no one was home and when he found our parents there he panicked and shot them. It's such a useless way to die, a teenager who makes a stupid decision to shoot two individuals who are someone's parents for God's sake!" her voice rises in exasperation. She pinches the bridge of her nose and closes her eyes to gain some control  
"I'm unloading all of this on you and I'm sorry" she looks at me and I'm speechless "it just feels easy to talk to you" she whispers the last part. And If I thought I was speechless before, then I've gone mute after this. I can feel my heart trying to escape and I know I have to speak because my silence is making her close off again. Her usual stoic expression is coming back so I hurriedly respond   
  
"No no, I'm glad you told me. You can always talk to me, about anything. I know what it feels like to lose a parent and how useless all the 'sorry for your loss' feel. My dad... He... Uh" i took a deep breath to regain some strength.  
Before I could continue, I felt her hands wrap around my own, one of her thumbs rubbing soothing circles on the back of my hand "it's okay, you don't have to talk about it"  
  
"No I want to, I think he would've liked you" We both smile at the thought. Lexa gives my hand a squeeze in encouragement.  
  
"You know that I used to play tennis" she nods "well dad used to be my coach. 3 years ago I had made it through the Roland Garros qualifications, it was the night before the tournament starts and assuming the role of the proud dad instead of strict coach, he took me out to dinner as celebration"   
  
I look down at my hand between hers, her touch reassuring and calming.   
  
"My dad always preferred to be the one driving, so he had an international license. That night as we went back to the hotel, we... Uh... We had an accident. A drunk driver crashed his car into ours on dad's side. He died on the way to the hospital. I had some minor injuries so I couldn’t compete that year in the Roland Garros and tennis didn’t feel the same without him so I stopped competing”  
  
I feel rather than see Lexa's hand cupping my cheek and wiping the single tear that escaped. I lean into her touch.   
  
"I'm sorry, now I'm the one unloading my past on you" I chuckle attempting a joke, still avoiding eye contact.  
  
I feel her hand slide from my cheek to my chin and she lifts my face so that I look her in the eye. The green orbs like I've never seen them before, glistening with unshed tears, I got trapped in their forest   
  
I glance down to her lips, they look so kissable and I instinctively bite my lower lip. I look back up to her eyes and she's looking down at my lips. And then she's looking at me and I stop breathing. We keep staring at each other, neither of us knowing what to do.  
  
Suddenly, as if we both made the same decision in the same second or maybe she saw something in my eyes or I saw something in hers and we both let go and now we're kissing. The kiss is like nothing I've experienced before. Her lips are soft, so so soft and we're moving in harmony like we've been doing this for years. Her hand moves back to cup my cheek while the other one is holding me steady at my hip. I cup the nape of her neck bringing her closer and my other hand gets tangled in her brown curls. A surge of heat courses through my body and I feel it settle below my stomach and I can feel myself getting wet.  
  
I feel my back hit the wall as she pushes her body into mine and I'm melting into her touch, I can’t hold back the moan that escapes and in return I hear her whimper. The hand on my hip slowly moves upwards and stops on my collarbone just above my heart which I'm sure she can feel beating erratically. I feel the wetness of her tongue urging me to deepen the kiss and I part my lips to allow her entrance.

Our tongues meet in a fiery dance for control. Both my hands are now tangle in her hair as I bring her closer to me. She lowers her hands to my hips and her fingers slip under my shirt. The touch of her fingers on my skin sends jolts all through my body and I arch my back and thrust my pelvis into her for some friction. Our movements are frantic, we're barely managing to take small breaths before diving in for more. I bite down on her lower lip and the moan that results makes my knees weak. I can feel her fingers going upwards beneath my shirt when we hear someone coughing. 

Lexa jumps a meter away from me like she's been electrocuted, her eyes wide and dark and she's gasping for air. The old lady, who interrupted us, gives us another glare as she moves towards the bathroom mumbling something about indecent behavior but I'm too busy catching my breath and controlling the riot happening inside my head to care.   
  
We just kissed. Holy shit we just KISSED and it was heavenly. I can barely breathe. And now she won't look at me. I frown at her trying to slow down my breathing but she's looking anywhere but at me.  
  
She coughs, as if to regain her voice "we should rejoin the others" she squints her eyes and turns her head towards the big hall lost in thoughts. I couldn’t blame her really, my thoughts are going hundred miles per second.  
I nod at first then I notice that she's still avoiding eye contact "Yeah"   
  
We start walking awkwardly, she's leading the way and I'm trailing a step behind. From my spot, I get to appreciate Lexa's form. She's wearing skinny black jeans showing off her long legs and her stunning ass, I feel myself blush at the trail of my thoughts, and a simple gray V-neck t-shirt displaying her toned arms and a part of her arm tattoo. _God, why does she have to be so sexy and so tempting?_  
  
We find Lincoln and Octavia leaning toward each other smiling and then they share a sweet kiss and I feel a pang of jealousy in my heart. I'm happy for them that they found each other but I'm jealous of how easy and simple things are between them. I just had the best kiss of my life and the girl won't look me in the eye. The jealousy was soon replaced by sadness.  
  
"You two are disgustingly cute" I tell them as we reach the table and their foreheads are touching while they give each other gooey looks.  
  
The rest of the evening is full with small talk which Lexa remains quite for most of. Her usual emotionless facade is back on and while I tried to gauge her feelings regarding what happened, she was obviously a master at shutting people off.  
  
As soon as the bill is paid, with Lincoln insisting that it's his treat. We part ways in front of the restaurant. Lincoln and Octavia share a kiss goodbye while Lexa and I awkwardly nod/wave goodbye. Lincoln then promises to show us around town in the next few days before the tournament starts and deep down I'm hoping Lexa will be accompanying us as well.  
  
As we turn around to leave Lexa fixes me with a stare, her green orbs strong and penetrating and says "May we meet again Clarke" emphasizing the K at the end. Before I regain my wit to respond, she had already turned and started walking towards their car, dragging a baffled looking Lincoln.  
  
"That girl is giving me whiplashes! Gah!" I throw my hands in the air to further make my point. I turn around and stomp back towards the hotel muttering about a stupid certain brunette who is not really stupid but who can't seem to make up her mind whether she liked me or not! I do not even bother waiting for Octavia who will probably only make fun of me. I need new friends.

* * *

 

I wake up on Tuesday morning to my phone beeping, signaling a text.  
  
**Octavia:** _clarkeey wakeey wakeey! We're having breakfast downstairs. If I don't hear from you in 10 minutes I'm coming up._  
  
The phone tells me that it's 9 am. I bury my head in the pillows groaning. I carefully weigh in my options, I can probably get an 15 min of sleep before Octavia barges in and rushes me out of the room or I can get up now and take my time getting ready.   
  
Preferring to lose 15 min of sleep instead of enduring O's yelling I  quickly reply that I'll be right down.  
  
I hop in the shower and 10 minutes later I put on some black shorts with a sleeveless denim shirt tucked under them. I apply some basic makeup, not too much. I grab my phone, noticing that it's 9:35 and I head downstairs for breakfast.  
  
As soon as I enter the hall, Octavia waves me over. They're joined by 3 other males.  
  
"Good morning everyone" 

"Princess! Glad you could join us, this is Finn Collins" he gestures to the guy sitting next to me with the black hair to his neck. He kisses the back of my hand. 

  
"how is it possible to look so beautiful in the morning?" he chuckles "God, was that too cliche?"

  
His hand feels rough on mine, unlike other hands I've held recently. Damn it Lexa! Get out of my head.

  
I smile politely while I retrieve my hand, he's cute and seems like a nice guy.  
  
"Just a bit but it's sweet of you to say, thanks" he looks happy with himself at my response.

  
I remember Bel mentioning him before and I think I've seen him on tv playing now that I think about it.  
  
"And this is Jasper" 

  
The guy with shaggy hair says "Jasper Jordan at your service". Did he just wink?  
  
"As if you stand a chance with Clarke" Octavia snorts. To be honest, my mind was so preoccupied and swarming with thoughts of a certain brunette that I'm not sure Brad Pitt at his prime or even Ruby Rose stands a chance.  
  
"Heyy I've got game okay? I can be smooth if I want to"   
  
Bellamy rolls his eyes "yeah yeah keep it down Casanova or I'll tell Maya" They all laugh at the look of horror on Jasper's face.  
  
"Last but not least, this is Monty Greene" the last of the three who smiles shyly and waves from his spot next to Bellamy. He's adorable!  
  
  
Breakfast ends up being more fun than expected. We were joined by Jasper's girlfriend Maya who came with him from the states. The couple is giving Octavia and Lincoln a run for their money in the cuteness department. Monty, who was shy at first, soon became more comfortable and outspoken and he's super funny and as sweet as I thought.  
  
Finn on the other hand seemed sweet and funny and respectful and everything anyone would want in a boyfriend but there was something about him that irked me and I couldn't quite place my finger on it so I decided to ignore it, he deserved a chance.  
  
At around 11:20 am, we decide it's time to head out. As we're leaving, Finn takes me to the side to talk.   
  
"it was really nice meeting you Clarke" he's rubbing the back of his neck, I'm guessing he's nervous "I, uh, I was wondering if you'd want to, maybe go around the city sightseeing? With me? Sometime? And maybe get dinner afterwards" 

  
A pause.  
  
"or coffee, coffee is also good" he rushes  
  
He's asking me out and my thoughts turn to the person I wish was asking me out or at least gave me a sign whether she likes me or not. Maybe I should forget about Lexa Woods. Finn is a nice guy, he doesn't live an ocean away (although distance is a small obstacle that could easily be solved)  and he's honest about his intentions.  
  
Finn starts fidgeting, probably worried about my lack of response.  
  
"Yeah that, I'd like that" I nod smiling and he smiles back. There, that wasn't so bad, was it? "here" I hand him my phone and take his "So that we arrange that sightseeing tour"   
  
"Claarke! Stop flirting and come help me train"  
  
Finn and I turn a shade of red and I point back towards the Blake's "I gotta go...  Bye"  
  
"Bye Clarke" I glance back at him briefly before being pushed inside the elevator by the shorter brunette.  
  
"Sooooo" Octavia drawls

  
" What?" I Dare her to speak.  
  
She starts mumbling "Clarke and Finn sitting in a tree...."

  
"Jesus Christ, you're an infant!" I yell at her when she starts making kissing noises. I swear one day I'll smack her so hard she won't remember her own name.  
  
  
Octavia ends up practicing her serve and return, so I spend half of the time on the sidelines. Finn, who is practicing on a different court, texts me during his break and we end up chatting a bit about our day and joking at the expense of Octavia and Jasper (his training partner for the day)  
  
Once O is done, it's already 3 pm and we're starving. We head back to our rooms for quick showers then we go out for lunch the three of us.   
  
During lunch, Octavia finally informs her brother that she's dating Lincoln, I honestly don't see how Bellamy did not see that coming. It goes without saying that Bellamy threw a fit. It's marveling actually to witness the train of emotions that he went through. Starting with the overprotective caveman "I'm gonna beat the shit out of him" to the authoritative "Forbidden to see him" to the illogical "he's too old for you"  and final stop at acceptance land "if you're happy then I'm happy" but with a Blake twist of "I'll kill him if he hurts you" to which Octavia shrugs and then hugs her brother.  
  
The rest of the night is spent walking the streets of London. Octavia and I managed to do some shopping and while O retired early drained from the training session and walking, I went back to the hotel for my sketchbook and roamed the streets some more sketching anything that caught my eye.  
  
The next day goes back in a similar fashion. At breakfast we're joined by Finn, Jasper, Maya and Monty. Finn and I flirt a bit and I start feeling more comfortable with him. Before we part ways, he kisses me on the cheek goodbye. Octavia, never one to miss a chance to tease, is back to making kissing noises right next to my ear.  
  
After training the younger Blake informs us hat we're invited to Linc's place for a small get together so that she could meet his friends. I'm reluctant to say yes because it's obvious that Lexa will be there and I had just decided to forget all about her but it means a lot to Octavia. So this is how, at 8 pm on this Wednesday evening, I find myself waiting outside the door of Lincoln's apartment as Octavia knocks. I was praying that Lincoln or anyone other than Lexa will open the door but alas, fate likes to laugh in my face.  
  
But I won't give fate the satisfaction this time. If she wants to forget the fact that we kissed and act like acquaintances then fine. Two can play this game.  
  
After polite greetings at the door, we go in, Octavia quickly searching for Lincoln while Bellamy spots Echo and excuses himself despite me pleading him with my eyes to stay which leaves me, standing awkwardly next to Lexa. But then I remember the decision I'd just made so I stand taller, puff out all of my anxiety in one breath and turn to look at Lexa.  
  
She's already looking back. Has she been staring at me the whole time? I notice that she's wearing skin tight leggings with a white baggy t-shirt that says 'BAD' in big letters. How fitting.  
  
"You're staring again Clarke" the edge of her lips slightly lift up in amusement  
  
"So are you Lexa"   
  
She arches an eyebrow, her smile turning into a smirk "What can I say, I like what I'm seeing" she shrugs, her eyes sparkling and the black eyeliner making them more green, and moves towards the counter separating the kitchen from the living room which happens to be were the liquor is.   
  
After recovering from my shock, thank you Lexa, although I'm pretty sure I'm still blushing, I take in my surroundings. It's a small get together, around 10 people. There's Anya standing towards the back with a large man with a long beard who looks ready to kill, Echo is on the couch with Bellamy, a brunette with a tanned skim and brown eyes is changing the music, Lincoln and Octavia are nowhere to be seen probably making out in his bedroom, 2 other guys were watching tv and having a discussion about a football (soccer) game. And finally, my eyes travel back to the green forest they so often get lost in.   
  
Lexa is walking back towards me with 2 beers, a smile still playing at the edges of her lips. She hands me one and we clink our bottles and drink, all while maintaining eye contact. But then my traitorous eyes travel down to Lexa's lips wrapped around the bottle and the way her neck is moving as she drinks. I gulp down on my beer, suddenly very thirsty. She lowers the bottle and I look back up to see the eyebrow arched again but I turn around before the smirk is fully formed. I think I'm losing at this game.  
  
"Who do we have here?" the tanned brunette is now standing to the other side of Lexa   
  
"Raven meet Clarke, Octavia's best friend. Clarke this is Raven, my best friend" Lexa introduces us. Raven gives me a once over and I become self-conscious. I'm wearing skinny blue jeans with a green shirt.   
  
"It's nice to meet you, Clarke best friend of Octavia" Raven rolls her eyes and extends a hand "I've heard so much about you... Ouch! What the hell Lex?"   
  
Lexa looks apologetically at Raven But they hold eye contact seeming to have an internal conversation "sorry, I didn't see your foot" even I can tell that's a fake smile.   
  
I take Raven's still outstretched hand "It's nice to meet you too"  
  
"Soo Clarke, what do you do?"  
  
"I teach little kids Tennis but I also have a degree in art"  
  
"really?" Lexa asks  
  
"Um yeah" I suddenly felt shy, I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear "I've always loved drawing and sketching but I'm not working in arts right now"  
  
"You any good?"   
  
"I'm okay I guess. I don't know, I haven't put my work on display for judging."  
  
"Jeez don't believe her! She's amazing." Octavia hugs me from behind, with her head on my right shoulder, she plants a wet kiss on my cheek "she loves to sell herself short, modesty and all" she crunches her nose in disgust at the idea of modesty.   
  
"Hi, I'm Octavia Blake" she offers Raven her hand  
  
"Raven Reyes, pleasure to finally meet you. Lincoln has been disgustingly consistently talking about you."   
   
"I am so glad you told me that Raven Reyes."  
  
"As if you're any better. I'm leaving you in London if you're gonna whine and pout for being separated by the ocean like you've been doing for the past month"   
  
"Now that Bel knows I can hop on any airplane and come visit whenever I want" she proudly states   
  
"Don't be so sure about that" Bellamy chips in. Guess he has good hearing.  
  
Between Raven and Octavia, conversation flowed easily. I learn than the large guy with Anya is Gustus, her boyfriend. He may seem intimidating at first but he's not so bad once you get to know him. They don't stay long, something about having reservations. I guess they want some alone time.  
  
The other two guys are Highschool friends of Lincoln, Quint and Nyko. They're football fanatics discussing what looked like a repeat game between Arsenal and Chelsea. I also learn that Raven is a mechanical engineer and the smartest person in England (her words not mine).  
  
We all help out in preparing the table. Apparently Lexa and Lincoln are amazing cooks. Over dinner, conversation flows easily and you'd think we've all been friends for years. The food is amazing and I eat so much that my stomach hurts. But once the dessert is served my mouth waters again. It's chocolate fondant and it looks so much better than the one in that restaurant in Paris.  
  
"Want to share some chocolate fondant again?" Bellamy and Echo might just be the worse. Echo giggles a yes.  
  
"I won't even share this with my own mother. It looks so good. Did you guys make it?" I ask  
  
"Actually, dessert is Lexa's specialty" Lincoln replies "she inherited mom's sweet tooth"  
  
"Lexa always did love herself some sugar" Raven smirks.  
  
I sneak a sideway peak at Lexa to find her blushing. I take a first bite and I try to bit back the moan, I really did but amazing food does things to me and this fondant just melts inside the mouth.   
  
"Keep it PG rated blondie" Raven comments earning a high five from O.  
  
"sorry" I blush profusely "This shit is Amazing though, you have to give me the recipe"   
  
"Maybe I can teach you sometimes" Lexa asks in a low voice, not sure of herself. She looks at me from under her eyelashes and I can't stop the nod even if I wanted to and seeing the small smile forming on her beautiful face because of my response makes me tingle all over.   
  
It's around 10 pm that I get a text. I reach out to grab my phone but O is faster and from the mischievous glint in her eyes and the way she looks in Lexa's direction for a split second, I know that something bad is about to happen.  
  
"Clarkeyy, who's texting you this late at night?"   
  
"hand the phone over Octavia" I glare at her with my hand stretched palm up. By now we gained the attention of Bellamy and Raven.  
  
"Ouuuh a text from Finn"  
  
"Octavia! Give me the damn phone" I lunge at her and by now I'm sure everyone's listening  
  
She shelters the phone with her body and reads "he wants to see if you're up for a drink at the bar across the hotel. Someone has a lover booyy"  
  
"Octavia, stop acting like a child and give Clarke her phone" Bellamy interjects.  
  
She hands me the phone "Be safe" she says with a wink.  
  
As soon as I have my phone back, I look back at the others. Raven is looking worriedly at Lexa who is holding the beer bottle a bit too tight (her knuckles are turning white), her lips pursed and her jaw clenched.   
  
"He's not my lover boy." I say through clenched teeth glaring at Octavia.   
  
"I'm going to go home. It was nice seeing you all" Lexa states as she grabs her jacket.  
  
"Want me to come with you?" Raven's tone is full of worry.  
  
"No no, enjoy the rest of the night, I'll talk to you tomorrow"   
  
And with that she closes the door behind her and leaves.  
  
Not long after that we also head back to the hotel. Despite all of Octavia's apologies, I'm still fuming inside. But to her defense she doesnt know about the kiss and she was just trying to make Lexa jealous so that she'll make a move and I'll stop moping around and drooling over her (her words not mine. She's not that good with apologies)  
  
Thursday passes by in a blur. We settle for a fast breakfast then a short training session. Finn had been insisting on that sightseeing tour so I agree to go but I drag Octavia with us. After what happened during dinner, I was even more reluctant to date Finn. It's not his fault and I feel bad for leading him on but I didn't know how to let him down easily. Hence why I invited Octavia with us, maybe he'll get a hint. But he still tried to hold my hand and every time I would manage to sneak my hand away from his grasp.   
  
On Friday, we wake up bright and early to get some training in before we start preparing for the WTA pre-Wimbledon party. Octavia's taking me as her plus one. The day goes by uneventful until until 6 pm when we start getting ready for the party. After getting our hairs and makeup done, it's already 7:30pm. We decide to get dressed in the same room.   
  
While packing for the trip I packed a simple black dress but when we went shopping 2 days ago I found this amazing short red dress that is a mixture of classy and sexy and I couldn't not buy it. I want to make heads turn. In honesty, I just want to make one head turn.  
  
Octavia on the other hand is wearing a breathtaking white backless maxi dress with black heels. She looks stunning and I make sure to tell her that. Lincoln is going to have a heart attack.  
  
I put on my black booties and I'm ready to roll. O is texting Lincoln to tell him that we're ready. He's coming to pick us up so we can go together, I'm guessing he's Lexa's plus one. Although technically he's Octavia's date so maybe that kind of makes me Lexa's date? I need to stop over thinking things.  
  
15 minutes later Lincoln arrives... And he's not alone in the car. Lexa's sitting in the front seat. As we approach the car, Lexa turns to look our way and due to my hyper awareness of everything Lexa related, I detect the sudden surprise when her eyes land on me and how that surprise gradually changes into something close to lust as she takes in my look. My body lights up under her gaze and I almost stumble while walking. Once inside the car, we exchange greetings while O leans in to give Lincoln a peck on the cheeks as he compliments her outfit.  
  
Some time later we arrive at The Roof Gardens and soon enough Octavia and Lexa are being dragged away for interviews. Lincoln and I are standing around one of those high tables sipping on our cocktails. The tall man has a soothing presence, he's fine with quiet company and I like hat about him. However, he is my best friend's boyfriend and I still need to have the talk with him.  
  
"hey Lincoln" I startle him, guess he was deep in thought "you seem like a nice guy and all but you better not hurt my best friend. Octavia is one of best people I know and she may seem all strong and tough on the outside but that girl has one of the biggest hearts and I'd do anything for her. Anything." I emphasize. I need him to understand and to make sure that he isn't playing with her emotions. I can tell that she's already in love with him, even if she hasn't admitted it yet.  
  
"Clarke, I know how special Octavia is" his eyes are glinting with something and he has a small dreamy smile and I get the feeling that maybe he's as in love her as she is with him "I won't ever do anything to hurt her on purpose. You have my word."  
  
"Good cause I won't hesitate to hurt you" I threaten  
  
"Clarke, isn't Bellamy's over protection enough??" she whines "why do you have to scare my boyfriend too??"  
  
"I'm not sure it's possible for Clarke to scare my brother" Lexa smirks  
  
"I can be scary" I cross my hands in front of me and give her my best glare in demonstration.  
  
"Clarke, please. You can't scare off a kitten, you're too cute and adorable" not realizing what she said, Lexa leans forward on her elbows on the high table still smirking.  
  
I mirror her position, Lincoln and Octavia forgotten, and respond "so you think I'm cute AND adorable?" I raise an eyebrow at her shocked expression.   
  
She quickly hides her emotions but her eyes show a hint to fear before going neutral. She straightens up "I have to use the restroom"  
  
I sigh and straighten up, running my hand in my hair.  
  
"What. Was. That?" Octavia asks while Lincoln looks worriedly at his sister's retreating form.  
  
I slump my shoulders, defeated. Maybe I need some extra input on the situation. No matter what I do, it always backfires. Octavia and Lincoln are the best candidates. So I spill.  
  
"we kissed, that night during dinner" I say in a small voice.  
  
"WHAT?!" a couple of people around us turn to look at the sudden outburst.  
  
"Geez Octavia keep it down!"   
  
I take a deep breath and tell them what happened.   
  
"Wait so you're telling me that she spoke to you about our parents?" Lincoln seemed to be in shock.  
  
"And you told her about your dad?" O questions  
  
"yes and yes"  
  
"She has only ever spoken about it with me or Raven or Anya and that was only when she's drunk. How?" he looks at me baffled.  
  
"I ... I don't know. She's easy to talk to when she's not ignoring me and she said I'm easy to talk to as well"  
  
"so that's why she left the apartment after I hinted you had a lover boy! And that's why you've been angry at me!!" Octavia exclaims.  
  
"Clarke" I look at Lincoln's serious expression "I know that my sister can be complicated and closed off but what lies behind those walls is more than worth it. She might kill me for telling you this but if she shared with you our parents' story then you're not just anybody" I feel butterfly in m stomach at his words "things have happened in the past that made Lexa guarded especially when it comes to love. She used to be so open and playful and I've been seeing glimpses of the old Lexa recently and maybe that's thanks to you"

"What happened?" I almost sure that he won't tell me but i can't stop myself from asking.

"It's not my place to tell" he gives me an apologetic smile.   
  
Lincoln's words warm my heart and as I watch Lexa step out of the bathroom and our eyes connect, hers wary but caring and mine strong yet full of affection. I know now that Lexa is more than worth it, I think I've know that from the moment I laid my eyes on her and I know that I won't give up or get alienated by her somewhat aloof behavior. I find myself smiling at the challenge ahead. I'm going to break down her walls, starting tonight. 

 

"Why are you smiling like a kid who just discovered how to get some extra candy?" Octavia narrows her eyes at me

"I just found something that I really want and I'm not going to let her slip away from me" I look back at Lexa who is now chatting with Echo. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to leave a comment letting me know what you think. <3
> 
> For Clarke's dress: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QdK8n5B9YgI/TgQuxcqhN8I/AAAAAAAABFU/bXrqkR4ABxg/s1600/Maria-Sharapova-fashion-in-Alexander-McQueen.jpg
> 
> For Octavia's dress: http://www.gotceleb.com/wp-content/uploads/photos/eugenie-bouchard/wta-pre-wimbledon-party-2015-in-london/Eugenie-Bouchard:-WTA-Pre-Wimbledon-Party-2015--08.jpg
> 
> Cause i'm not that good at describing dresses :/


	3. NOT A CHAPTER... YET

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note

Hello everyone!   
First things first, Merry Christmas and Happy new year! may 2016 be wonderful and full of happiness <3   
Second, I'm so so so sooo sorry for the huge delay!! :| I know it's been about 4-5 months but life and school got in the way, this fall semester was my last and I had my final project. And when I write, it sometimes takes a while to get in the "zone" and for the words to start to flow so I didn't have the time to actually sit down and get it done.   
Buuut, now that I've graduated and I'm currently still unemployed I'll have plenty of time to continue this. HOWEVER, I probably won't be updating before the 22nd cause I'm travelling with my friends (graduation gift :D) and I won't be back till the 18th.   
And that way....the chapter will coincide with the start of the new season!! (I may be doing a little dance of joy in my seat) :D

sooo, yup that's about it, I just thought I'd let you know that I haven't ditched this story, and i'll be uploading an actual new chapter soon! :)) 

Thanks for reading!


	4. Wimbledon Part 2

I splash some water all over my face. _Deep Breath Lexa._ I look at myself in the mirror.

“You’re not weak. You do not run away. It’s not like you told her you love her” My heart starts beating faster. My shocked reflection staring back at me as realization dawns on me. _Holy shit I’m in love with her! No, no I’m not_ I rationalize _I just really really really like her._

I feel myself panicking, how did this happen. How could I let myself slip? I barely know her, we barely see each other and she’s probably dating that pretty boy. I can’t have these feelings for someone I barely knew, I’d sworn myself to stay as far away from love as possible. It has never brought me anything but trouble.

But then I remember the way her lips felt against mine and how right it felt to kiss her and hold her and how the sound of her laughter brings butterflies to my stomach and how her smile lights up her face leaving me speechless and how easy it felt to talk to her about my parents and how special I felt when she told me about her dad. In the little time that I’ve seen Clarke Griffin and interacted with her, she managed to dazzle me, anger me, turn me on, scare me and make me jealous for the first time in years. She’s sending my emotions into haywire.

 

I groan in frustration. I need to get my act together, the tournament starts in 2 days. Anya will kick my ass if I’m distracted again.

I take another deep breath, straighten my back and head back into the party.

As soon as I step out of the restroom, my eyes gravitate towards the blonde. Her blue eyes sparkling with something close to determination and then her lips form into the kind of smile that makes my heart skip a beat. She has so much control over me already, it scares me to think about it. Her attention shift to Octavia as the smaller brunette speaks.

“If you stare any harder you’ll burn a whole into her pretty head” I turn to find Echo smirking

“Hello Echo, where’s Bellamy?” I cock an eyebrow

“Touché, so what are you going to do?”

“About what?”

“About Finn and Clarke” if only looks could kill…

“Don’t give me that look Lexa, we’ve been friends for years now and don’t you even dare to think that we didn’t notice your reaction the other night”

I sigh in defeat. I may not be an open person but I know very well that my close friends know exactly how to read me. “Wait, what do you mean ‘we’?”

“Raven and me” she gives me a ‘Duh’ look.

“You two have been talking about me behind my back?” I felt a little pissed. Why couldn’t they just let me handle it?

“No, not exactly. We were worried okay?” Echo lets out a breath “you may not have admitted it to yourself yet but Clarke’s the first girl you’ve shown interest in ever since… well you know”

“You don’t have to worry about me, I’m a big girl”

“Well I just thought you’d like to know that I asked Bellamy about Finn and Clarke”

I turn back my full attention to the Serbian “And?”

“According to him, Finn likes her and he’s trying to make a move” I grunt in annoyance “But, your blonde has been turning him down” I smile at that

“So I repeat my question: What are you going to do about it?”

“Echo, please just let it be. And tell Raven to do the same. I never should’ve introduced you two” I mumble at the end looking around the room and as usual my eyes land on a certain blonde still chatting with Octavia and my brother.

Echo huffs in annoyance “Look at me Lexa” I look at her “She’s going to slip away if you keep up this attitude. Stop being afraid of your feelings. She. Is. Not. Costia.”

I stand there shocked. It’s usually Raven who is this blunt and forward but I guess the two are similar in nature and that’s why they get along so well. I look back towards Clarke, she’s sipping on a glass then someone says something funny and she’s leaning forward holding her hand to her mouth to prevent any liquids from spilling as she tries to control her laughter. As soon as she manages to swallow, the sound of her laughter fills my ears and I wish I could preserve this moment forever. The way her cheeks flush from laughter, how her eyes sparkle with humor, how she lightly pushes Octavia for whatever she said, how for some unknown reason, she turns around and our eyes meet and she smiles sweetly and waves me over.

Keeping eye contact with Clarke I tell Echo that I’ll see her later to which she nudges me forward. I’m not completely sure what I’m doing but I decide to just go with this pull I felt towards her, enjoy the rest of the night in the company of friends and leave the worrying till tomorrow.

The following day, I wake up early for my morning jog. As usual, I find myself in one of my favorite spots in London, the pedestrian bridge over the Thames. I lean over the railings to catch my breath and enjoy the view. I clear my head and just focus on my breathing, few people are outside this early on a Saturday. After about 10 minutes, few passersby recognize me and I take pictures with them and they wish me luck for the tournament. I decide to pay Raven a visit since she lives nearby. On my way there I pass by a coffee shop for some coffee and breakfast. By the time I reach Raven’s place it’s already 9 am yet the engineer is still asleep, however, a blond half naked man is awake and he opens the door. To say I’m shocked would be an understatement. I double check the apartment’s number to make sure I’m at the right place.

“Hello there! You must be looking for Raven”

He smiles at me and I frown. He’s too perky.

At my reaction, his smile falters and he says “Umm I’m Wick, Raven’s…. uh… Coworker?” I raise my eyebrow and look down at his naked torso. He chuckles “Come in, Raven’s still asleep, I’ll go wake her”

“No it’s okay, I’ll do it” I put the breakfast on the table in the living room “help yourself to some breakfast, there’s some muffins and sandwiches”

“Thanks” his smile is back. He looks at ease here, I wonder how long this has been going on and why on earth didn’t Raven tell me?

I open the bedroom door and find my best friend sprawled all over the bed on her stomach. _Poor wick, where did he fit next to her?_

I decide to get some revenge, I sit down next to her and start massaging her back and caressing her hair. I know very well that I’m good with massages. I give her a good 5 minutes massage then in a deep voice, hopefully similar to Wick’s, I say “Baby, wake up for me”

 

“Hmmm that feels so good Wick” she moans.

I move lower in my massage until I reach her waist and I start tickling her “yeah I bet he made you feel reaaal good”

“What the fuck?” she jumps out of the bed and squirms away and I burst out in laughter.

“God you’re such a bitch!” She yells and kicks me off the bed and Wick runs into the room.

“What happened?”

“I thought you were Wick and you got me all worked up and now I won’t be getting any” she huffs.

“Aww babe, don’t worry I’ll make it up for you later” he winks at her and leaves the room

“Ugh you two are gross. And you owe me and explanation” I point at her.

I get off the floor and hand her some shorts and a tank top

“So, how long has this been going on?”

“Not long, this is the 3rd time we hook up. It’s just sex, no strings attached that’s why I didn’t tell you or anyone for that matter”

“Are you sure about that? He seems pretty comfortable in your apartment”

“Yes I’m very sure. Not that I’m not happy to see you but what are you doing here?” she looks at her phone “at 9:15 am” she glares at me.

“I went for a run and I thought I’d pay my best friend a visit” I smile innocently at her “Now get your ass out of bed, I brought breakfast and coffee”

“Well, why didn’t you say that before?” she exclaims and hops out of bed to the living room.

She hugs her coffee cup.

“You want us to leave you and the cup alone?” I chuckle.

“Shhh, we just need a moment”

“Dork.” Wick gives her a quick peck and moves to the kitchen to get some plates.

I smirk at her.

“Shut up” she chuckles.

“Hey, I’m gonna take a quick shower and borrow some sweatpants and tshirt okay?”

“Yeah of course”

After my shower, we eat our breakfast while I get to know Wick, who is a chemical engineer working in the same company as Raven. Apparently he’s been trying to get her to go out with him for a while but she’s insisting on a friends with benefits relationship. But I can tell that the blond engineer is growing on the brunette.

Around 11 am, Wick excuses himself saying that he has to go home and shower since he promised his mother to have lunch with her. After a sweet kiss, Raven closes the door and turns around to find me rolling my eyes.

“So, what really brings you here?” she moves to sit next to me on the couch

I sit up suddenly feeling awkward. Leave it up to Raven to go straight to the point. I tell her about dinner that first night.

“And well I… uh… I realized something last night” I start fidgeting my hands. Raven motions for me to continue.

“Imighthavesomefeelingsforclarke”

“Say that again but reaaal slow”

I sigh “I said ‘I might have some feeling for Clarke’”

“Might? Lexa please. Took you long enough to realize it”

“Raveen” I whine.

“Fine fine, I’ll be serious for 5 minutes so listen up”.

At my nod she continues “Look Lexa, we both know that you’ve been through a lot and your previous experience with love left you devastated. Add to that the death of your parents and you just locked your heart somewhere so deep inside and installed so many defensive mechanisms that no one dared to even try and unlocking it. But then Clarke Griffin came along and made you feel something. You told me yourself how she affected you during the final and that’s after one dinner. And from the sound of things, you made her feel something too or else she wouldn’t have told you about her father”

Raven takes my hands in hers and continues “Your fear of getting hurt is stopping you from being truly happy. I’m not saying go marry the girl just give her a chance. She’s already crept into your heart with all the armor around it, imagine how amazing it would feel if you’d let go and allow her in completely. You did not see her face when you decided to leave the other night. A blind person could’ve seen the disappointment, so trust me when I tell you she feels the same.”

I take a minute to digest Raven’s words. Usually, I’m not a hugger but in this moment I felt the need to hug the woman in front of me. I don’t know what I would do without her.

“Since when are you so wise?”

She shrugs “I have many hidden talents”  

“Idiot” I push her away laughing.

I spend the rest of the afternoon at Raven’s, we talk some more, watch tv and order dinner. By the time I get back home, I’m exhausted. I take another shower to relax and change for bed. I do some reading and then go to bed.

On Sunday, Anya comes over so we can discuss tactics for my opening match the following day. We meet up with Lincoln and Raven for some late lunch and at night I watch some of my opponent’s old matches to prepare. Although she is a qualifier, I like to be prepared.

Soon enough, it’s Monday and I’m finishing up my pre-match preparations. Today’s schedule of play on Centre court is a gentlemen’s match then my match then another gentlemen’s match and finally Octavia’s match. Being drawn in the same half of the board but at different ends, it’s likely that I’ll be meeting Octavia in the semis. Thoughts of Octavia quickly turn into thoughts of Clarke. Although I want to let her in but it’s easier said than done especially when I haven’t seen the blonde in two days and I kind of miss her. Although I had just met her, in the month we spent apart between Roland Garros and Wimbledon, she frequently crossed my mind.

And I might have stalked her Instagram, although I would never admit that out loud to anyone. Ever.

I turn to the screen in the players’ lounge, the chair umpire announcing the winner. I check my bag and make sure I have everything I need, it’ll be around 15 minutes before we head out.

Less than 70 minutes later and I’m thanking the crowd for their support. Playing in my hometown is always special and the atmosphere every time I step into the court is humbling.

After the press conference, I head back home with Anya. Lincoln decides to stay at the court to watch Octavia’s match and Raven goes off to meet Wick.

While I take a shower, Anya prepares lunch.

“You know that your brother is whipped right?” Anya is mixing the salad on the kitchen counter.

“Yes I’m quite aware. She’s good for him, she makes him smile” I shrug

I start setting the table “How’s Gustus?”

“He’s good, he congratulate you on the win. They had an important meeting today, he’ll try to catch the second match”

“Tell him I say thank you and not to worry about it. When are you two going to make it official and get married?”

Anya and Gustus have been dating for the past 5 years. I first met Anya when I was 16 years old. I was a beginner trying to make my own path and Anya, who at the time was a 23 years old tennis player, we somehow became friends instantly. By the time I turned 18, Anya had decided that she liked coaching more than playing, something about mentoring talent so we teamed up and a year later I won my first WTA title.

At first, I couldn’t understand how these 2 different persons were together. Gustus, a large muscular dark haired man who has the kindest heart and sweetest soul and Anya, a tall lean dark blonde woman who is so intimidating and loyal and fierce that the saying ‘if looks could kill’ fits her perfectly. However, they make it work like no other couple and I just know that they are for good. I wish there was a pointer towards the person you’re supposed to be with to save us all from the pain of betrayal and breakups.

“Has Gus enlisted you in his efforts to get me to marry him?”

“What? No. Wait, you mean you have already talked about it?”

“Well he’s been bringing it up a lot lately and I keep dodging the questions”

“Why? You two are perfect for each other, you know that, you’re the one who told me that”

“Yes I know, it’s just a big step”

“Anya, you two have been practically married for the past 3 years but without the ring and ceremony.” I gently bump her shoulder with mine.

“True, I’ll try not to dodge the questions next time although you know my idea of marriage isn’t that good so I can’t promise anything.”

“You’re not your parents! And I’m sure Gus already knows the reason behind your hesitation and he’ll find a way to make it work. Let’s eat, I’m famished after the game”

After lunch, we turn on the TV, the second gentlemen’s match is over. Octavia and her opponent are walking onto the pitch. The camera turns to each of the players boxes to show their managers but I catch a glimpse of blonde hair shining in the rare London sun, she’s clapping hard as the umpire introduces Octavia. My brother, sitting next to Clarke, is also cheering for his girlfriend.

“Whipped I tell you” Anya comments smiling and I chuckle lightly.

Unsurprisingly, Octavia wins the match and the crowds stars dissipating signaling the end of day one.

“We have a training session tomorrow 9 am” Anya informs me before leaving.

“Okay, I’ll go for my morning jog and meet you at 9 am at the practice court.”

“Don’t tire yourself too much, we need to work on your returns”

I nod my understanding.

When Anya leaves, it’s already 8 pm. I text Raven for a bit and do some reading. By 10:30 pm, I feel exhausted and ready for bed.

As I’m on the verge of falling asleep, my phone beeps signaling a text.

_-Unknown number (10:43): Hey Lexa! Congrats on your win. Just wanted to tell you that and Good luck for the tournament_ _:)_  
-Unknown number (10:44): Sorry for the late message, I didn’t realize it was almost 11 pm _:|_  
-Unknown number (10:44): It’s Clarke btw. I got your number from Lincoln.  
huh. I don’t know whether to hit my brother for giving my number without asking me or kissing him for giving it to Clarke. Suddenly I’m no longer that sleepy.

_-Unknown number (10:46): I hope you don’t mind. It’s not his fault, your name came up during the conversation and I asked him for your number. I wanted to congratulate you. Yeah so congrats again!_

As I start typing a reply, I get another text. _  
-Unknown number (10:48): God you’re going to think I’m crazy after you read all of these messages. If you don’t want me to have your number just tell me. I’m rambling, I’m gonna shut up now. Bye._

I smile at her last message. How could she think I would mind her having my number?

**_She’s going to slip away if you keep up this attitude._ **

Maybe Echo was right.

I text her back

_-To Clarke Griffin (10:50): Hello Clarke. Of course I do not mind you having my number. I might even thank my brother for giving it to you on my behalf. And Thank you_ _:)_

_-To Clarke Griffin (10:51): Perhaps next time you can congratulate me in person? And maybe watch the match from my box?_

_-To Clarke Griffin (10:51): only if you want to though. You don’t have to._

My palms started sweating waiting for her response. I throw my phone next to me and bury my head on the pillow. Almost 5 minutes later, my phone beeps.

_-From Clarke Griffin (10:55): I’d love to._

I smile at the letters in from of me.

_-To Clarke Griffin (10:56): Good night, Clarke._

_-From Clarke Griffin (10:56): Good night Lexa._

I put my phone back on the nightstand and soon enough I’m enjoying dreams of blonde hair and blue eyes.

Tuesday morning, I wake up and go for a light jog and meet Anya in the practice court at 9 am. Some fans have gathered around the court and I take my time to sign autographs and take pictures with them.

About an hour into practice, I notice a flash of gold while I return Anya’s serves. Seconds later, I hear Octavia’s voice talking with her brother Bellamy.

“Nice return commander” the beautiful blonde is standing on the left side of the net with her own training bag on her shoulder. She looks stunning in her white training gear with her hair tied in a casual bun.  
  
"Clarke" I greet her.  
  
"CLARKE. Stop giving the enemy lovey dovey eyes"  
  
Clarke rolls her eyes at the younger brunette "I'll talk to you later" she waves with her racket.  
  
Anya is even more ruthless especially when she notices my eyes drifting to the other court as Clarke whips Octavia's ass. It's really marvelous watching the blonde play. Her backhand is something even Federer would admire. After winning the match is 2 straight sets and much to Bellamy's chagrin, Clarke starts her victory dance while her best friend mutters insults. And if I were to be honest with myself, it's the cutest thing I have ever seen.   
  
Lost in the scene unfolding in front of me, I don't notice the ball flying towards me until it's too late.   
  
"Ouf" I grab my right side where the ball connected.  
Anya is standing with her left hand on her hip and if looks could kill, i'd melting in an instant.   
  
"Love-40!" She shouts "If I break your serve AGAIN, be sure that there will be grave consequences."  
  
Anya and I are playing a match and I’m currently down 1 set and 2 games behind in the second set. To say that Anya is not happy would be an understatement. It's not that Anya is not a great player and cannot win me but that usually only happens when I'm sick or too tired and even then I never get broken more than 3 times max in the entire match. However today, she'd already broken my serve 4 times (and counting).  
  
I look up to the sky, no clouds today making it as blue as Clarke’s eyes. I groan internally and take a deep breath to focus. I end up saving all 3 break points and winning the game and the both remaining sets.

Thankfully, Anya is happy with how I turned the match around and gave me the rest of the day off. It’s already 11:30 am and the matches are about to start soon. On my way out, some fans have gathered and Octavia is taking photographs with them and signing autographs while Clarke and Bellamy wait on the side. As soon as they spot me, they start shouting my name so I go to them and take selfies and sign some tennis balls.

About 10 minutes later, we head out together, Bellamy and Octavia walking ahead of us discussing what she should improve, Anya behind us talking on her phone with Gustus, leaving me and Clarke in between and walking side by side.

We seem to drift closer as our shoulders start to touch. She turns to me and smiles and I can’t help but smile back. I take a chance and decide to ask her out to lunch.

“What are you doing in a bit?”

“Depends on what you mean by a bit”

“Sorry I should’ve specified, what are you doing for lunch?”

“Are you asking me out?” she smiles playfully

“Uhh” I look at her unsurely “no? No not a date date, just lunch” I mumble.

“Oh”

God, I keep ruining things.

“Clarke…”

“I’d love t…”

I chuckle “Go ahead”

“I’d love to go to lunch but I can’t today”

“Oh” I try to hide my disappointment but although I have mastered the art of a stoic face, my eyes always betray me.

“It’s just that we promised Finn that we’d be there to support him in his match since none of his family members were able to come and his match is the first one up on the main court.” She explains.

“Ah, I see” I don’t know what else to say honestly. Maybe I have it figured out wrong, maybe she finally decided that I’m not worth the effort anymore. The last thought has my heart clenching. Finn lives in the same country as her, is open about his feelings and even I can admit that he’s good looking (putting aside the fact that I want to continuously punch him in the face for even talking to Clarke). So really, why should she bother with me?

“How about after the match we go for a late lunch?” her hopeful tone warms my insides.

“Clarke, it’s fine” it definitely isn’t fine.

“I want to” she assures me.

“Okay” I nod “text me when you’re ready and I’ll pick you up from the hotel”

“Sounds good” she smiles brightly, I smile back but not fully. My previous thoughts clouding my mind.

We reach our separate cars.

“See you later Clarke”

“Bye Lexa”

About 10 minutes after Finn wins his match, I get a text from Clarke that she’s ready. I leave my apartment building, get into my car and head towards her hotel.

“Hey again” she gets into the car and puts her seatbelt on

“Hello Clarke”

“This still feels weird” she chuckles and my heart drops. Does going out with me make her feel weird?

“Um… what’s weird?” I inquire as I start driving.

“That you drive on the left side and the driver’s seat is on the right side” she throws her hands in exclamation. “Every time I get into a car, I end up opening the driver’s door then I remember”

“Oh that, yeah it feels the same when I’m in the US or almost any other country”.

We both laugh.

“Wait, what did you think I meant was weird?”

“huh?... oh nothing”

“Lexa, tell me”

I can never refuse this girl.

“I just thought that maybe us going out together felt weird to you or something”

When she takes too long to answer, I sneak a glance in her direction to find her looking at me in disbelief.

“What?” I shrug “It’s just a thought” I murmur.

“Well get those thoughts out of your head. If it felt weird I wouldn’t be here” She says with a tone of finality.

“So, where are we going?” she changes the topic.

“You’ll find out soon.” It took me while to decide where to go but then Lincoln suggested this small restaurant owned by a family that had great food, great atmosphere and privacy.

Jason Mraz’s I’m yours comes on the radio and Clarke rushes to increase the volume.

“I Love this song!” then she starts singing along. As the chorus starts she turns in her seat and sings to me.

_But I won’t hesitate_  
No more, no more.  
It cannot wait,  
I’m yours

And I melt right there.

“I didn’t know you could sing” I say a bit breathless.

“I’m no Adele but I can keep a tune. And I have many hidden talents” she smirks.

“Well I can’t wait to discover them all” I’m not sure if we’re flirting or not but at least we’re getting to know each other and I very much enjoy talking to Clarke.

“So… your brother and my best friend huh?”

“Ugh don’t remind me” I groan.

“You don’t approve?” she asks hesitantly.

“Of course I do, Octavia is great and she’s just what my brother needs, don’t tell her I said that but they are so disgustingly in love. But on the other hand I’m really happy that he found someone who deserves him.”

“Aww that’s sweet. And I do agree that they are gross but it’s also cute. Octavia had a rough childhood, she lost her parents and then went into the foster system for a couple of months until Bellamy became of legal age. Seeing her so carefree and safe with Lincoln allows me to sleep better during the night sort of.”

A minute later and I’m parking in front of the restaurant. I rapidly turn off the engine and get out as I hurry to open Clarke’s door. My father always taught me to be a gentlewoman.

“Thank you” She says as I hold the door open. At the sight of her slight blush, I smile a bit wider.

Once seated, we decide to share roast chicken platter and grilled lamb & Green sauce with red wine.

As we drink, Clarke suggests we play 20 questions.

“Okay, you start” I tell her.

“Hmm, I’ll start simple, favorite color?”

“Really Clarke?” she merely shrugs “well if you must know, it’s blue” I blush remembering Clarke’s clear blue eyes but I’ve always been soothed by the sea and any water body really.

“What other talent do you have?”

“Well, I’m not sure if it’s a talent cause I rarely show them to anyone but I can draw. Mainly pencil drawings”

“Would you show me sometime?”

 “We’ll see when you come to the states” she blushes.

“How about you Commander, any hidden talents?”

“Let’s see, other than my amazing charm?” I joke.

She chuckles “I can’t deny that you are charming, but I wouldn’t call it a talent”

I feel myself blushing “You already know that I can cook and I can also play the guitar”

“Really?” she asks surprised.

“As a kid, my parents wanted me to have a choice so they registered me for both tennis and guitar lessons thinking that I’ll stick with whatever I like more. I ended up loving both the instrument and the game” I explain.

“Will you play for me sometime?”

“Maybe” I answer from behind my wine glass.

“What do you do for a living?” I ask.

“My mother and I started the Jake Griffin tennis school, it’s mainly for kids. I teach a couple of advanced sessions as well as run the place. It’s our way of keeping dad’s memory alive, he loved tennis and he loved teaching so…”

“That’s admirable of you. I’m sure he’s proud” I tell her. Those blue eyes, now shining with unshed tears captivate me. She coughs and looks up to the ceiling for a few seconds then looks back down with a smile.

“Thank you. I know for sure that your parents are proud of you too”

“Wow how did this 20 questions game get so serious?” she jokes.

“It seems like our food has arrived” I tell her as I spot the waiter walking towards us with our plates.

The rest of the lunch goes smoothly and soon enough we’re fighting over the bill but I insist on paying. As we leave she says “Next time, it’s on me”

I try to fight the huge smile at the promise of a next time but I fail miserably. I chance a glance towards the blonde to see if she noticed and I spot the hint of a blush coloring her cheeks.

That night, I dreamt of hair as shiny as the sun and eyes as blue as the sea. Going over the small details before my match with Anya, she kept giving me weird looks, probably because of my unusual happy mood.

“Not that I’m not happy for you but … Why are you smiling so damn much?”

“I took Clarke out yesterday for lunch” I explain while tying my shoes.

“As your friend, I’d say it’s about time you grew some balls and asked her out! You were close to exploding. And if she’s making you this happy already then I’m all for it. But as your coach, I hope you don’t let her be a distraction”

“Shut up, I was far from exploding and it was just lunch” I mumble then I look at her seriously “I won’t let anything distract me. I promise.”

She nods her head in acknowledgment “It’s time to head to the conference room, I expect full details of that lunch after you win”

“Aye Aye Coach” I salute her. She rolls her eyes.

“Move it Commander.” She shoves me playfully out of the room.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so as you might have noticed, each chapter will no longer be a tournament. I'm not sure when I'll be able to update again, so no more promises of certain dates.
> 
> Also, 3x07 did not happen.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you For Reading!


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